Purpose The main purpose of this study is to evaluate prognostic factors that affected the patients' early (<30 days) and late (six months, one year, and overall) postoperative mortality following hip fracture surgery. Materials and Methods This retrospective study included 515 patients older than 75 years old with surgically treated osteoporotic hip fracture. The demographic data, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification, type of anesthesia, duration of hospital stay, and history of intensive care unit (ICU) stay were collected. An analysis of laboratory values was also performed to determine their relationship with mortality. The primary outcome was survival, determined as the time from the surgery to death or the end of the study. The patients were divided into four groups according to survival time: at the first month, six months, first year, and overall survival. An analysis of demographic and laboratory values was performed to determine their validity as prognostic factors for each group. Results Postoperative C-reactive protein (CRP) level showed an independent association with a poor survival at the first month. ASA classification, admission to the ICU, and preoperative CRP levels showed an independent association with a poor survival for the first six months. Preoperative CRP level showed an independent association with a poor survival for the first year. ASA classification, admission to the ICU, and the preoperative CRP levels showed an independent association with a poor overall survival. Conclusion CRP level, a high ASA classification, and postoperative ICU admission were related to poorer overall survival rate following hip fracture surgery in the elderly.

BACKGROUND: Tranexamic acid (TXA) has been shown to reduce intraoperative bleeding and the need for post-operative allogenic blood transfusion requirement in surgery. In our randomized controlled study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of pre-operative 15 mg/kg intravenous TXA on total blood loss (TBL), hidden blood loss (HBL), and transfusion requirement in elderly patient group with intertrochanteric femoral fracture (ITFF) and treated with proximal femoral nailing (PFN). METHODS: Patients diagnosed with ITFFs (AO types 31-A1 and 31-A2) and treated using closed reduction and PFN was divided into two groups in our prospective randomized study. Group 1 (TXA group) was administered 15 mg/kg of TXA 15 min before the incision was made, after anesthesia was given, in the form of an IV infusion in 100 cc of saline. Group 2 (control group) was given only 100 cc of isotonic saline. The primary outcome of the study was TBL. The secondary outcomes were the number of transfusions, HBL, and the surgical (intraoperative) blood loss during the operative procedure and post-operative complications. The outcome values were compared between two groups. RESULTS: One hundred and two patients (51 patients in each group) were included in our study. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of their demographic characteristics and their pre-operative hemoglobin and hematocrit values. The mean TBL was statistically lower in the TXA group than in the control group (684.6±370.1 ml vs. 971.2±505.3 ml, respectively; p=0.002). The amount of intraoperative blood loss was not significantly different between two groups (102.4±59.3 ml in the TXA group vs. 112.7±90.1 ml in the control group, p=0.67). However, the mean estimated HBL was significantly lower in the TXA group than in the control group (582.3±341.2 ml vs. 857.8±493.1 ml, respectively; p=0.002). The post-operative blood transfusion rate and transfusion unit were found to be significantly lower in the TXA group than in the control group (8% vs. 23.5%, respectively [p=0.033], and 6 U vs. 15 U, respectively [p=0.04]). Both medical and surgical post-operative complications were found to be similar for two groups. CONCLUSION: Single dose of TXA significantly reduces TBL, HBL, and the need for blood transfusions following PFN in elderly patients with ITFFs, while it does not increase the risk of DVT or thromboembolic events.

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Routine follow-up investigation methods after peripheral arterial bypass surgery, such as arteriography and colour duplex sonography, do not always allow correct analysis of moderate alterations in the vessel wall, e.g. initial stages of distal anastomotic intimal hyperplasia (DAIH). The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of angioscopy and intravascular ultrasound compared to the named routine methods regarding detection of early DAIH. Eight months after bilateral femoropopliteal bypass surgery with venous grafts in 18 sheep, we investigated the distal anastomotic sites using the named methods. The findings were then correlated to histologic specimens. Intravascular ultrasound presented the highest sensitivity followed by angioscopy, with results markedly different from the findings arrived at by conventional methods.

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